Libyan food importation company director admits to using fake documents

A 45-year-old Libyan man from Tripoli, who is a director of a company audited by Joe Sammut, has pleaded guilty to using false documents to import foodstuffs. 

Magistrate Antonio Vella heard Police Inspector Raymond Aquilina charge 45-year-old Nureddin Mohamed A. Shaibi with making a false declaration to a public authority, conspiracy to commit a crime and knowingly making use of falsified documents.

Inspector Aquilina explained that imports of food items from Libya have to be authorised by the health department. However in this case, he did not present this document, instead handing in a document issued in Libya.

Shaibi’s lawyers, Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili, entered a plea of guilty on behalf of the accused. Dalli pointed out that the accused has been doing business with Malta for over ten years and that this was the first time that he had encountered a problem, which had been caused by the fact that he had presented the Libyan document.

He has registered a company here and owns property in Malta.

In view of his guilty plea, the court sentenced the Libyan to two years' imprisonment, suspended for four.

Sources close to the case inform the MaltaToday that Shaibi’s San Gwann-registered company, Mayar International Ltd, which trades in food items, had been reported to the police by Bank of Valletta employees after it was flagged as having been audited by Joe Sammut. 

Sammut is currently being investigated by the police in connection with allegations that he organised the setting up of non-trading companies in Malta to facilitate Libyan businessmen in obtaining residency permits here.